Hello. I said I'd bring you this chapter earlier than usually so here it is. I know you're all curious about Yuugi's vision of Atem and an apartment that didn't belong to either of them being on fire. In this chapter you'll get some answers and then more questions. Action!

As always, I want to thank everyone who takes time of their lives to read my story. I'm always happy getting comments from you and answering them. But I don't write this story for the comments. This has turned into a journey I've been taking with a few close friends and I'm determined to see it to the end. So, once again, I want to thank my Bakura, Julia and Kathy. Also, I want to thank WavesOver who always leaves a comment for me to read and wishes me a great day! You're really kind.

Nanowrimo went well this year as well. I managed to write 5 new chapters for this story, a Tower of God one-shot and start another ToG one-shot!

Now…enjoy this new chapter.

Chapter 17

The same black van that had brought them to the Kaiba mansion waited for them when Atem and Bakura walked out the door. This time both boys wore similar black hats that kept most of their peculiar hairstyles hidden. Hinata took the passenger seat as the boys sat on the back. A woman and a man dressed in black were already there, briefly nodding at the boys when they walked in. In the darkness of the van, all the boys could tell about the strangers was that the woman had shoulder-length brown hair while the man had spiked short black hair, and that they were both quite tall and muscular.

"Our mission is simple." Hinata informed them as the driver started the engine and the van started moving. "Atem, Bakur, and I are going in the building. I'm going to check the apartment first and then signal for the other two to join me. The bug that was planned in the apartment is pretty basic. I'll activate the device to block it as soon as I walk inside. Since you aren't supposed to be back for a while, they won't suspect anything. However, we'll keep our voices down and be quick just in case." He made a pause to emphasize how imperative it was for them to do as he said. "You'll only grab whatever you absolutely cannot leave behind."

"We can be stealthy." Bakura growled, feeling offended the other guy felt the need to explain such a simple plan to them. "It'll only take us a moment to carry anything of importance. You won't find much in that apartment."

Anyone hearing him would think he didn't care but Atem knew that even though their apartment was nothing but a hole in a building the city had forgotten about, it was their home. Bakura definitely cared. He cared about the life they were about to leave behind and about the few possessions they had. His prized laptop was in the backpack he had grabbed before they were forced to leave their place and was now safe with Marik, but there were other things he needed to grab.

Hinata continued as if hadn't listened to Bakura's comment but if anyone had seen his eyes, they would have noticed the sympathy he felt towards the boys. "Owari," he pointed towards the female, "will check the area. Nidai," the other guy nodded, "will stay in the van. If Owari, or we face any problems, he'll intervene."

Atem eyed the man and came to the conclusion Nidai could easily break him in two if he wanted. Owari could easily hold her own as well. In comparison to those two, Hinata seemed tiny. He was all long limbs and thin, even though the tricolor haired boy was sure his body was in top form. He seemed to be the brain of each operation but fit and skilled enough to actively join them, too. He also seemed to be the one interacting with people Kaiba deemed important such as Yuugi.

"Do you know Yuugi well?" the crimson eyed boy decided to ask, earning an approving look from Bakura. Atem was sure Bakura wanted to fish for information but he knew the bodyguard wouldn't tell him a thing. He wasn't exactly the friendliest of the bunch.

"Mr. Mutou and I have crossed paths a few times." Hinata answered without any hesitation. "He's a really kind and smart person. " He provided without much probing. "He'll be well protected. You don't need to worry. Mr. Kaiba won't let anything happen to him."

"Is the little cutie involved in this?" Owari spoke before Atem could say another word. "I miss seeing him around. He always greeted us with such a brilliant smile."

Hinata gave her a look that immediately silenced her but she had said enough. It wasn't hard for either of the boys to read between the lines. Yuugi had met Seto Kaiba enough times to be considered familiar to his staff. Hinata seemed to respect him and his words made clear it that his safety was guaranteed. Of course that wasn't anything they hadn't already known.

"I cannot reveal information that may jeopardize our plans or damage Kaiba Corp, but I'll tell you this. Mr. Mutou's safety is imperative so we won't take any chances with it. He wasn't to be involved in this story and no one is happy about this complication. It may change a lot of things. If you want my opinion, make good use of Mr. Kaiba's resources and assistance while you'll be in the mansion. Running around the world won't help you for much longer. Maybe it's time to stop running and face your opponents. But this is just my opinion on the matter."

Having finished with what he had to say, Hinata straightened his body and worked on his equipment. With great care, he placed what looked like a small gun in his pocket. Silence followed his words as neither of the magic wielders was sure of what to say as a reply to the young man's words, and as the scenery changed into that of the neighborhoods they were more familiar with, they decided to focus on their mission. The van slowed down and Owari was out in an instance. Her dark clothes helped her blend with the shadows and soon she was gone. She was to walk the rest of the way and reach Atem and Bakura's neighborhood from another direction.

"You better leave your phones here." Nidai suggested holding his hand out to get the devices. "We wouldn't want an accidental call to ruin our plan." Bakura and Atem agreed and handed him their cell phones. After some minutes the van started moving again, having given Owari a good head-start.

"If you don't beep me, or return in ten minutes, I'll join you." Nidai announced, even though Hinata knew that well.

Hinata nodded his agreement. "Give me your key." Bakura handed him a skull keychain with a single key, not needing to remind him that the apartment's door was the only one with a lock. "I'll go first. When I beep Nidai, you'll follow me. Remember, in and out."

He didn't wait for a confirmation. He was out without another word, getting swallowed by the darkness of the empty street. Atem checked his watch trying to determine how many of the denizens of his neighborhood would be out at that time. Most of them were probably out and about so their street should be mostly deserted. Hinata shouldn't encounter any trouble, Atem thought, and, indeed, he didn't since a few minutes later a long beep was heard echoing in the van.

"Your turn." Nidai said, opening the door of the van. "Run along, stealthy boys." His voice was booming even as he tried to keep it down, and the teasing tone sipped through his voice as if he was about to laugh.

Bakura gave him a nasty look but the man simply laughed it off, pushing them off the vehicle, almost throwing them on the cold concrete. They regained their balance, and, with whatever dignity they had left, walked purposefully towards their building. The door was ajar, apparently left open by Hinata, so they slipped inside quickly and climbed the stairs. The door to their apartment was closed but they only had to knock once for the black haired man to open it.

"I was worried your cat may escape if I left it open." He said as soon as they walked inside. "Everything seems to be as we left it. Make sure to mention to Mr. Mutou that we did fix the door." He added with some amusement sipping in his voice before he schooled his expression and looked at the other two. "Let's grab whatever you need and leave. Even though nothing is touched, I have a bad feeling about this and I'd like us to leave as soon as possible."

"Funny that you say this. I have a bad feeling, too. Something doesn't feel right here." Bakura said, walking towards the nearest wall and placing his palm on it. He closed his eyes and concentrated. "I don't feel any traces of magic but something's wrong."

"Where's Mana?" Atem asked, ignoring everyone else. The cat was nowhere to be found. He searched the bathroom but she wasn't there either.

"She was here when I got in. Maybe she hid…" Hinata stopped abruptly. "Do you smell smoke?" He asked, alarmed.

"I should better check the…" Atem didn't manage to finish whatever he wanted to say as he felt excruciating pain ripping his mind to shreds. His vision doubled and for a moment he could see a set of stairs that didn't belong to the apartment. "What…?" His body hit the floor, but all he could feel was a pair of arms that didn't belong to Bakura or Hinata.

"ATEM! GET OUT OF THERE!" Yuugi's desperate scream filled his mind, making his ears ring. The younger boy's voice echoed in his mind, bouncing around on invisible walls. It took his breath away.

"Atem, what's wrong?" He could hear Bakura's worried voice coming from somewhere far away, as he suddenly felt Yuugi's voice fading; his own world coming back to focus.

"I…heard Yuugi's voice…in my mind." He managed to whisper, wondering if that was the craziest thing he had said lately. "He…he screamed at me…to get out."

Surprisingly, it was Hinata who seemed to take those words seriously. He helped Atem up, supporting most of the boy's weight since his movements were still sluggish. "Quickly." He shouted at Bakura. "Grab anything you need. We need to leave."

Bakura opened the drawers and dumped their contents in a big black plastic bag he pulled from behind the couch. Clothes and papers mixed together. He threw the bag at Atem and Hinata. He then kneeled and, pulling a loose board off the floor, he took out a key and pocketed it.

"We must go." Hinata urged. "I don't like this."

"Mana..." Atem whispered, trying to escape Hinata's grip. "We need to find her."

The explosion that followed his words covered whatever Hinata was about to say and shook the building. Parts of the ceiling crumbled and fell right in the middle of the living room barely missing Bakura. Looking up, they saw smoke and fire licking every surface of the small apartment matching their own.

A loud mewing sound came from somewhere and the white haired boy finally spotted their cat hiding beneath a pile of old newspapers. She had been asleep all that time. Bakura resisted the urge to sigh in relief. Only Mana would fall asleep right after a stranger walked into their apartment as if it was his home. Then again, Mana had always been an excellent judge of character so she probably knew Hinata was no threat to her.

"I'll grab the cat. Leave. This place will go down quicker than a tower of cards." He shouted, and dove for the cat.

Surprisingly, Mana seemed to understand the severity of the situation and allowed Bakura to grab her, as softly as possible. She actually curled in his arms as the boy followed the other two outside. In the mere minutes it took them to leave the apartment, the flames had spread on the stairs and more parts of the building had collapsed. Navigating through the rumbles was a hard task but everyone made it out just in time to see the building completely collapse after a second and third explosion followed. Dust and heat covered them, as everyone coughed.

All around, the denizens of the neighborhood were frozen, looking at the crumbled building as if it was the most spectacular thing they had ever seen. Maybe it was. The fires still licked whatever surfaces they could find but the explosions had shook the foundation of the structure. There would be nothing salvageable there.

Hinata was the first to recover. Seeing Owari making her way towards them with big hurried steps, set him in motion. Pulling Atem and the black bag with him, he started moving towards the van. Bakura fell into step behind him with Owari covering them. They needed to be out of there before the dazed people took too much notice of them, or the police and fire brigade came. At least, that's what he told the boys because they probably weren't ready to hear that whoever had set that fire and bombs would probably be there soon. Their hats had been long lost in the rumbles. They had to get out of there fast.

Hinata almost shoved them both in the van and jumped inside behind them. Nidai barely had time to pull back before Atem crushed on him. Moments later, Owari took the front seat and the driver started the engine. Bakura felt the van moving. Only then he allowed himself to relax. Everyone took a moment to catch their breath. Dirt stuck on their clothes but they didn't try to dust it off. Bakura continued to hold the tabby cat protectively on his lap, fingers lightly petting her in an effort to calm her down. Atem wasn't sure if his friend was conscious of what he was doing so he didn't point it out.

"What's just happened?" Owari asked the question that was in everyone's mind. "A bomb?"

"It was definitely a bomb. No. Actually there were more than one." Hinata was reaching for his phone when it started ringing. "Yes, sir. A bomb. At the old man's apartment. I believe it was set by a trigger. The man wasn't there. No, I don't think they knew we were there. We're returning right now, sir."

Hinata hung up the phone and looked at the two boys, carefully, assessing how much he should tell them. "We're going back to the mansion," he started.

"That was the plan." Bakura interrupted, rudely, with a voice much calmer than how he felt. "Why do you think the bomb wasn't supposed to kill us? If they didn't know we were there, it means we weren't the target."

"First of all, we know they don't want you dead. They need you." The bodyguard easily answered, not caring for the interruption. He anticipated it. "Also, I checked the entrance of both your building and your apartment before you came. There was nothing that could work as a trigger. There was nothing that could detonate the bomb. If they wanted to kill you, the bomb would have been in your apartment. No, this wasn't an attack to your lives. There was enough time for everyone to escape." Hinata paused for a while, contemplating the situation. "My guess is that the old man was paid or tricked into carrying the bomb into his place. I believe, the bomb was programmed to explode while you were at work. That way you'd have had nowhere to go and nothing to return to. They would simply collect you like lost children in a crowd."

It was a great plan, Atem thought. It would have thrown them off for sure. They did have some money saved in a safe location but most of their things were hidden in the apartment. Mana was there, too.

"Our men saw the old man entering the apartment holding some plastic bags and leaving half an hour later in a hurry. They didn't think anything of it, though." Nidai provided the information. His voice was booming and clear as always.

"He was a good man." Atem sighed. "I was actually thinking of checking on him before I was distracted by searching for Mana." He wanted to believe the man wasn't involved in that. He was a deaf old guy who had lost most of his family years ago and preferred being in left in peace. The boy knew he had a young granddaughter he sometimes got to see. "I'm glad he wasn't in the building."

"Was that before or after you heard Yuugi?" Hinata asked with a voice that made Atem think the question was crucial.

"Before. I was about to tell you I wanted to check his place in case Mana left as you walked in and you didn't notice her since she does that some times and then I heard his voice." Atem bit his lip. He could clearly remember Yuugi's distress. The other boy's voice was full of raw pain and agony as he screamed his warning. Did he try to stop him from visiting the other apartment? If Yuugi hadn't intervened, Atem would have been caught in the explosion. "What was that?"

Hinata shook his head. He wasn't sure what exactly had happened but he knew he could trust Yuugi's instincts. He shook his head again and Atem didn't push him even though he had a thousand questions to ask. They all fell silent as they travelled back to the mansion. The van passed the gates once again, driving through the gardens and stopping by the fountain. The door opened and the boys walked outside, followed by the bodyguards, taking in the freshness of the night air.

Still holding Mana, Bakura started climbing the stone stairs of the mansion not waiting for the others. He knew they would follow. He didn't enjoy the prospect of staying with Atem's snobbish cousin but his place was all they had right now. Not to mention the arrogant bastard had answers and the means to help them continue their lives. No. That wasn't right. Bakura didn't want to just continue his life. He was tired of running away. Secretly, he agreed with Hinata. He wanted to use Kaiba's resources and knowledge to end this sick game.

He was just about to knock on the heavy doors when they opened, illuminating the threshold with a bright light. Mokuba Kaiba was the one who had opened the doors but he didn't seem to care about Bakura. In all honesty, his face seemed to fall when he noticed that the white haired boy was the one standing there. It was as if he had expected someone else.

"Oh, I thought…" He started hesitantly but then his voice turned steadier, "I'm glad you're all safe."

Atem came to stand by Bakura, carrying the black bag that held all their possessions. "Who did you expect?"

Mokuba looked towards the gates as if they'd open any time and reveal the answer, but nothing happened. He sighed. "Yuugi."

Alerted, Atem placed a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Wasn't Yuugi supposed to stay in the mansion? Why would he leave?"

Mokuba told him all about how Yuugi had brought up some good arguments and had persuaded Seto to let him go back to the game shop with his family. None of them bothered going inside while they were discussing things even though the coldness of the night was biting their skin. Mokuba was intent on staying right there; his eyes never leaving the gates.

"Then, why are you waiting for him to come back?" Bakura asked, narrowing his eyes on the younger Kaiba. Something about the boy was unnerving. Why was so worried about Yuugi if he was back at his place, protected?

Hinata climbed the stairs, too. One hand was clenched around his phone. His expression was carefully blank. "You shouldn't stand outside in the cold." He chastised them without any real bite behind his words. "It won't help anyone if you get a cold."

He was about to usher them inside when Mokuba let out a gasp. The gates were opening. They were far away but they could see a dark van similar to theirs and a car that Atem was sure belonged to Joey. They all waited in silence until the cars stopped by the fountain. Now they could see that a young woman with grey hair was driving the yellow car. Before they could question that, the door of the van opened and Joey walked out, helped by his brother. The blonde seemed to be in pain but he straightened up his back as soon as he noticed there were people around. Yuugi raised an eyebrow, turning to see what had grabbed his brother's attention.

"Oh." The younger tricolor-haired boy felt his heart beating fast taking in the sight in front of him. Both Bakura and Atem were safe and sound. They both seemed like a mess but they weren't hurt. Atem wasn't… He stopped himself before his mind could bring back the images of his vision. "They're back." He allowed himself to murmur as if that was all that mattered.

He took a step forward and then another. Why did that feel like a chore? How hard was to walk straight and climb those stairs? His energy meter must have reached its limits. No. His energy meter had reached its limits a long time ago. He knew this time Joey wouldn't be able to stop his fall. His brother was injured. He accepted the fact as he fell forward; his body unable to hold him up any longer as gravity took hold.

But once again he didn't meet the hard floor. A pair of arms caught him and soon he felt himself being carried.

"Joey." He whispered his brother's name but instantly he knew it wasn't Joey who was carrying him.

The body that held him was different. Whoever held him smelled like smoke and dust but Yuugi didn't care. All around him voices kept rising but the tricolor haired boy couldn't make out what they said. It was okay. He felt safe where he was so he kept his eyes closed and snuggled on the warmth of the other's chest letting darkness take him.

Yes, yes. Danganronpa 2 has joined Yu-Gi-Oh! I love the game and its characters very much (Nagito, my dear psycho boyfriend) and decided to give some of them roles here. I mean…you should have seen it happen since I introduced Hinata (Hajime Hinata).

So, Atem was about to check the neighbor's apartment but thankfully Yuugi stopped him and our dear crimson-eyed boy is safe! But wow. We barely managed to grab Mana and run! My Bakura kept telling me "Don't forget the cat!". I think it's time for you to find out that this chapter was born exactly because I dreamed of a burning apartment and Bakura trying to grab Mana.

Let me know what you think about this chapter. Have a great day!